Last week we drove up the Cleveland to pick my dad up from the airport as he was returning from Colombia, South America. If you’ve been reading here for a while, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I was born/raised in Colombia. My parents have been missionaries there for almost 40 years. Whenever my dad returns, he brings back treats from Colombia, things I can’t get here in Ohio. This time he brought us some buñelos, which are basically corn starch and baking powder mixed with a country cheese that’s made with soured milk and then deep fried. Nothing like some delicious starch and cheese, which pretty much is what all Colombian snacks are made of – they just use different kinds of starch and shape them differently.
Traditionally they’re eaten for breakfast or a snack with coffee or hot chocolate. I probably could make these, I know how to make the cheese they use and I can buy corn starch. The trick is in the frying, they have to be done just right or they are not nice spheres but weird bulbous masses. Perhaps one of these days I’ll try making them, but until then I’m happy that my dad brings us some each time he returns. We pop them in the oven for 10 minutes and they’re quite tasty!
On our way home from my parent’s house Mr Chiots and I were talking about how if he had never met me, he would have most likely never eaten a buñelo (if I had never met him I would have never eaten a brown sugar cinnamon pop tart with butter on top). It’s interesting to look back on your life and see the journey that you’ve taken, how different choices molded your life. How you ended up in your current house, in your current situation, with your current significant other, or lack there of.
Whenever I really think about it, I’m amazed at where I ended up in life. When I was little I always said I wanted to open a bakery, that was my second choice because I really just wanted to stay little. I would have never guessed that I’d be married to Mr Chiots, living in Malvern, OH, gardening like there’s no tomorrow, working at Ethel Gloves, blogging about my life, and taking photos of anything and everything I see.

Is there something in your life that you would have never experienced had you not met one specific person?

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19 Comments to “The Journey”

What a great, thought-provoking post. I’ll be interested in seeing some of the answers to this one!
I know I wouldn’t have travelled as much as I have if it were not for my dear hubby. He wouldn’t have either. We’re both kinda wimps when it comes to adventure, but together, we push ourselves to try different things. We love to find the most remote, rough and tumble logging roads out west and explore mountains and valleys. We’ve been everywhere–and had the most amazing adventures. I love him so much for opening up that world for me.Sue´s last post ..Carrots, Broccoli, and Skunk–Oh MY!

Isn’t it wonderful how life has awaiting for us so many unexpected surprises?

I am grateful to be with a family who has taught me so much about life and helped me understand my authentic self in a way that I otherwise never would have known.daisy´s last post ..Flywheeler’s Visit

Haha, I wouldnt have been in Ohio if I haddent run across m’honey in an online some 15 years ago.. I cant believe its been that long.

But what amazes me more than that is where I am in regards to my job and how I got to where I am.

I basically build computer boards & interface boxes/controls for MRI’s. I build proto-types, pre-production releases and some special build pieces for research & development MRI’s.
Many people think its terribly interesting and ask how I got where I did since its typically considered a man’s job.

It was solely a fluke on my part & the grace of God’s hand, no doubt.

Some 24 or so years ago, I dropped my young daughters off at a girls/boys club to swim for a few hours. I had no money to do anything with but I didnt want to drive the 18 miles back home & then come back again as money was tight and it would waste gas.

I decided I’d go to the state employment agency to see if I could take the aptitude test I had heard they were offering. I like stuff like that.. they interest me.. lol

I got there, asked about the test, but it turned out that the State Of Texas had decided to stop using it, but the guy had me fill out some paperwork and saw that I had worked at one of the 2 large factories when I was younger, and asked me if I would be interested in going back. Funny enough it was in the same position that i had held years before.
I took the job and worked there for 3 years till we were layed off.

During the layoff, someone told me that Boeing which was an hour away from my house was hiring and they were hiring all the folks who were layed off if they could pass a dexterity test… so off I went to take that test.

I passed & was hired soon after.. That was one of the best things that happened to me in that part of my life.. I left Boeing (crying the whole way) after 5 years and many good friends & times, to move to Ohio to make a life with m’honey. He had commented before I moved here how it would be great if I could get a job where I work today. Just a thought…

About 4 months after I moved here, I decided to look online at this place’s open positions, and there was a job description that was written specifically for me! They didnt know that, but I did, and I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Gods hand had that position there for me.

2 of the 3 people who interviewed me wanted to hire me before they even met me, then on the spot when they did, and here I am 13 years later, still at the same company and division, in a similar position.
8 years ago, they shut down the part of the division I worked for, but created another position similar, and thats the one I have today.

Im still good friends with the 2 who were instrumental in my being hired.. One works within the same company but in another building and the other is one of my dearest friends whom I still see about once a month or so.

M’honey & I are still rocking along going strong.. :) And It all started on a whim of wondering what I could do to entertain myself..

So many things have happened in my life by chance, it really makes you think.

If I hadn’t been a night owl, playing on the computer in a Yahoo! Pool chat room, I would’ve never met my other half. I moved to New Zealand to be with him, from VA, and it’s probably the best thing that I’ve ever done.

And then, if I didn’t have a hobby of playing online games, I would’ve never landed the dream job I have now, as a moderator on a kids’ virtual world game site.

I love my job so much, the kids are so wonderful. It doesn’t feel like work. One year on and I still pinch myself to make sure it’s real. Longest job honeymoon period I’ve ever had!

Thank you so much for sharing your post today, it was really lovely to get a glimpse of that side of your life!

If i hadn’t switched from interior design to radio and Tv broadcasting in college- I probably would have never met my husband, never spent a year living in Scotland, might not be gardening and cooking my heart out now. that decision changed my life, glad I listened to God on that one!Melissa´s last post ..I will be back…

When I was in hs I was determined to not marry and definitely not have kids. While in college I met a boy, got married, got divorced (would have never had the strength and realization that I had to leave, had it not been for one person), and moved back home (briefly). A month later, determined to have a “casual” relationship with a friend (he had other ideas), I started dating and fell head over heels in love with him. I still am, and he’s my soul-mate-true-love-silly-romantic-song-dream-partner. Almost 10 yrs (and 2 kids) later and life isn’t remotely like I’d expected. If I hadn’t met him I never would have felt what we have or understood romantic songs or had children. I wouldn’t be aiming to start a sheep farm as soon as we can figure it all out.

I also have a Colombian connection and love Colombian snacks, especially roscas, which are basically a crunchy donut. Also guava jelly. My youngest daughter was born in Bogota and we adopted her as an infant. Visiting that gorgeous country and, of course, raising my beautiful girl (now age 19) changed my life profoundly for the better. Thanks for the memory-invoking post.Mary S.´s last post ..Holiday Issue of Northern Gardener

W/o making friends in high school w/ a Turkish girl whom I’m still friends w/ (she is in Istanbul now, we are here), I would not have been invited to her then sister-in-law’s engagement party. W/o going to that engagement party, I wouldn’t have met my “other half”. W/o meeting him, I would not be in this country…

Oh, and now I want to totally make these things. Do you have a recipe? :)

There are some things I wouldn’t have expected over the years, and others I think would still be there and be a backbone to what I am doing now. Have thought about it over the years, you never really know what would have happened if a different route was taken, but it is fun to think about it. I am sure happy the way things are. Emily

This is a great post and stuck with me as I was driving around today. I think meeting Walter (my husband) taught me how to love–really love someone, and also made me a better person overall. And without a doubt, there is so much that I would not have experienced if we hadn’t had Isaac. Life is really hard with him and his special needs, but he’s taught me so much about acceptance and my own strength.Sierra´s last post ..Isabella’s pictures…

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.